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CEO Uses Drone to Search for Missing Child

Mike Pruett of MLT Group Creative Solutions of Rochester, Minn. demonstrates how one of his three video equipped quad copter drones operates. Pruett is able to record not only video but still photographs with the drone.

Around 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 7th, a 3-year-old from Byron, MN, was reported missing from her home. Along with the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office and firefighters, MLT Group CEO Mike Pruett was called in to aid in the search using one of MLT Group’s most advanced drones.

After receiving a call from Sheriff Kevin Torgerson, Mike responded immediately, bringing his drone to help search areas that were too difficult for the search party to reach. “They wanted to check this reservoir and they couldn’t get access to it,” Mike recalled.

Mike is certified through the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) to use his drone for search and rescue. This was the first time he had been called in for this kind of search and the first time the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office has used a drone to aid in a search. “I had the opportunity to show the other deputies what the capabilities of the drone are.”

Fortunately, the child was found safe, sleeping in a Huggies® diaper box inside the home.

Mike has received an official exemption from the FAA and a certification for commercial use through MnDOT (Minnesota Department of Transportation) and uses the drones as part of MLT Group’s video production services.